WWE Legend George ‘The Animal’ Steele Dead at 79

WWE legend George “The Animal” Steele has passed away at the age of 79.

TMZ reports that Steele died from kidney failure on Thursday. His wife Patricia told the website that he had been in and out of hospice care for nearly a year.

After news broke of his death, Hulk Hogan tweeted, “RIP my brother, only love, only grateful."

Though he first started out as a teacher, Steele transitioned into professional wrestling in the '60s and made his WWE debut in 1967. He became one of the most popular wrestlers by the ‘80s, and was inducted into WWE Hall of Fame in 1995.

Aside from wrestling, Steele also did some acting, nabbing roles in “Ed Wood,” “Blowfish” and “Small Town Conspiracy."